Tag: Chef Rush
Interview: The Reason Chef Rush Does 2,222 Push Ups A Day
Chef Rush does 2,222 push ups every day for Veteran suicide awareness.
Chef Andre Rush made headlines last year for being the most jacked White House chef ever seen. That might seem like an easy feat (there aren’t that many White House chefs in the world). But when you look at the man, you’ll quickly realize he might just be the most massive chef in the world. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Chef Rush explains why he does 2,222 push ups a day not for building muscle but for suicide awareness.
Chef Rush does 2,222 push ups every single day (except Saturday and Sunday). This takes him over an hour to complete each time. That sounds maddening, brutal and, for many, seemingly impossible. But Chef Rush isn’t doing this as a realistic way to build muscle. Actually he recommends against it. The real reason he dedicates himself to so many push ups a day is for suicide awareness.
Specifically, the number of push ups have a significance. They represent, according to statistics, 22 veteran suicides a day. Chef Rush has been in the military himself and served over seas. He also suffered from post traumatic stress and depression – something he admits he would have never been able to say on camera only three years ago. He had been in mental health facilities and struggled with trying to find a way to gain inner peace. He understands what many veterans (and even the broader scope of people who suffer mental health issues) goes through.
That’s why Chef Rush does 2,222 push ups a day and talks about it as much as he can. He wants to help change the way the world looks at mental health; the way the government supports veterans and suicide prevention; and hopefully show others who are suffering that they are not alone.
The 2,222 push ups are not Chef Rush’s workout. They don’t give him the massive size you see on his physique. But it’s a different kind of sacrifice he’s willing to make every day. Something for himself and for all others that are desperately seeking relief from their mental health issues in a world that often ignores them.
Check out the full GI Exclusive interview clip of Chef Rush above and make sure to stick around the Generation Iron Fitness Network for more bodybuilding exclusives and news updates!
Chef Rush On The Hardest Part Of Fitness Success: “A Lot Of Times You’ll Be By Yourself”
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Chef Rush reflects back on his success and details the hardest part of success in this industry.
Chef Rush started out as a viral meme. He was the “bodybuilding white house chef.” Over time he turned that wave of attention into an entire career. He’s written a book, is set to start in many high profile TV projects, and always uses his platform to spread awareness about important causes. While his internet fame might have seemed immediate, his journey to success was not an easy one. In our latest GI Exclusive, Chef Rush talks about the hardest part of attaining success in fitness and entertainment.
Chef Rush could have had his 15 minutes of fame and then faded into the massive pile of viral personalities that disappear as fast as they’ve arrived. Instead, Rush was able to transform his opportunity into multiple entrepreneurial endeavors. He’s now an iconic name in fitness, nutrition, and health. In our latest video conversation, we asked Chef Rush about his latest book and what it was like to look back on his life and rise to success. He called it, “A blessing.”
And while Chef Rush does truly feel blessed, he also knows that his success comes directly from sacrifice and hard workout throughout the years. If there’s one message he wants to share with aspiring individuals in fitness, it’s this: the hardest part of this industry is navigating the loneliness.
Chef Rush certainly has close people in his life, but he admits that rising through success in fitness and entertainment opens your eyes to those who want to take advantage of you. He mentions that he’s had to leave family members behind and also friends. He reflects on many moments where the only way for him to succeed without sacrificing his own sense of self – was to only rely on himself.
“This industry, and you know this, I had to cut loose a lot of people. Family, friends, because of this mindset,” Chef Rush states in our interview. He goes on:
“And I’m doing this I’ve had to do everything by myself. I’ve had agents and I’ve had lawyers and I was called a serial firer because if I’m working harder than you, there’s a problem… and instead of us being successful together, everyone wanted to take from the top. I’ve always had that self motivation which you’re always going to need because a lot of times you’re going to be by yourself. And that’s the hard part.”
When applying this to bodybuilding specifically, the sport can already be a lonely one. The dedication to be a true champion pro bodybuilder does not jive well with normal life. Add to this the success that might come with it – and those who suddenly want to latch onto you to reap the benefits. It can be a real struggle. It’s important to not be exploited nor to become an exploiter yourself.
For Chef Rush, his therapy is ultimately helping others. That’s the guiding light that helped him get through times when he had to trudge through the industry alone to get out the other side successful. His advice for others is to do the same. Learn to not lose yourself as you rise in the industry.
You can watch Chef Rush’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Chef Rush Reveals The Reality Behind Racism & Death Threats Online
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Chef Rush opens up about his PTSD and dangerous comments he has received online.
This past week, Facebook has been on blast after a whistleblower revealed the alleged dangerous tactics behind the company. Namely, that the company cares more about profits than huma beings – and purposefully allows toxic behavior to continue and is even sometimes pushed by their algorithms. Toxicity online is something nearly all people are aware of – especially those with large followings. Chef Rush is a viral bodybuilder who has faced some of the worst of it. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Chef Rush opens up about death threats and racist comments he’s received online.
Chef Rush is best known as the “Bodybuilding White House Chef.” He went viral upon photos released online showing his jacked physique while working at the White House. Since then, Rush has used that momentum to spread awareness about veteran PTSD and start his own businesses. As such, he’s become a bit of an online celebrity with a massive following.
As with most people in the spotlight, having a following often means receiving mass criticism as well. Often times, influencers and celebs simply ignore the comments. But we are all human – and people’s words, no matter how anonymous, can do damage. Then there’s the step above that – when online users take the next step to make direct attacks on influencers and iconic figures. This can be done through direct messages, death threats, racist comments – and also all bolstered by programmed bots to flood online pages with hate.
Chef Rush has experienced these kinds of attacks. In general, he tries to keep an open and positive mind about the internet. He understands that many toxic comments online are simply anonymous individuals looking for likes, clicks, and attention. But in a certain specific moment, Rush started to feel unsafe for himself and his family.
This moment came out of a strange extrapolation of an online post. Chef Rush made a comment about how much sleep he gets at night. He talked about getting very little (he states it was about 4 hours at the time). Somehow, this comment became so controversial that an online user programmed bots against him.
At this point Chef Rush would not even care. He knew that the swarm of comments were not real people. The problem came not due to the bot attack in and of itself – it was what they were saying. A comment about how much sleep to get suddenly turned into a swarm of comments throwing racial slurs on Rush’s posts. Not only that – but he was receiving death threats.
The barrage was so constant and cruel – that Chef Rush started to worry about his safety and the safety of his family. Posting your personal life as a viral influencer can open you up to online sleuths determining where you might physically be located – where you live, where you are on a trip, etc. What if this online hate turned into something in the real world?
That’s why Chef Rush did what he normally doesn’t do – he responded to the comments. He made it clear that if any single person were to approach him aggressively in public, he would take matters into his own hands. He kept it vague – but the implications were clear. If he felt that himself or his family were threatened in person, he would fight back.
Eventually the entire situation blew over. But the experience revealed just how out of control attention on social media can become. A comment about sleep turned into racism and death threats. It’s a level of extremism that seems propelled by the instant gratification and anonymity of social media.
You can watch Chef Rush’s full comments about the entire experience in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Chef Rush On Recent Bodybuilding Deaths: We Need To Avoid Taking A Turn For The Worse
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Chef Rush comments on the recent string of deaths in bodybuilding and the future of health in the sport.
Last month, there was an unfortunate and tragic string of deaths in the bodybuilding world. While each of these deaths were unrelated, it sparked an avalanche of comments about the state of health in the sport of bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Chef Rush reacts to the recent deaths and comments on the current state of health in bodybuilding.
Before diving in, we want to make it clear that the recent series of deaths in bodybuilding were not directly related. In fact, many of these deaths have not had a cause of passing revealed. Some seemed to be more directly related to contest prep while others just a coincidence. Chef Rush’s comments here are not a direct reaction to the cause of death but instead a expanded conversation about bodybuilding overall health triggered by these recent passings.
Chef Rush, like many passionate about the sport of bodybuilding, was heartbroken over the number of recent bodybuilding deaths in the sport. Many of these deaths were in individuals who were under the age of 50. Each individual passing was a tragic loss. But it’s also raised questions about the current state of health in bodybuilding. Has it become too dangerous? Are these deaths a direct result to the bodybuilding lifestyle?
Chef Rush cannot comment about exact supplements, or even drugs, that athletes may be doing. Rush may himself be a bodybuilder – but he’s not a competitor. He would rather not speculate about what substances modern bodybuilders are taking. Instead, he comments on the overall perception of health in bodybuilding and how it can affect the sport as a whole.
Chef Rush believes that the more deaths that plague the sport, the more negative media attention the sport will get. This kind of attention will diminish the opportunities the sport has. This, in a sense, has already happened. Mr. Olympia was once aired on television – but has since fallen off broadcast TV – most likely due to the reputation of PED use in the sport. If these young deaths end up becoming more consistent – Rush worries that the future of bodybuilding will become even smaller.
“One thing I will say on the flip side of it is. Is that reporting on the deaths in the industry… and in the last 30 or 60 days it was X amount,” Chef Rush states in our interview. He continues:
“The one thing that you don’t want to happen is that it takes a turn for the worse. Where people start in the media, and I mean big media, start looking at it and shun it and say ‘here’s what’s happening.’”
Chef Rush goes on to say that this kind of negative perception can also affect future generations. Either by losing interest or, even worse, generating interest in even more unhealthy practices. Rush claims that, even today, he will have 12 year old kids ask him what kind of steroids they should take. He’s shocked at how young they are aware of that kind of drug use. The PEDs should come second, or never at all, before questions on how to train and diet. The mentality of the younger generation may be skewed.
Of course, this is all anecdotal evidence. In a sport as niche as bodybuilding, there are no real studies done to see if bodybuilding is actually more or less healthy today than it was in the past. Are there more deaths happening? Or is social media just bringing more instant attention to it? These are questions that will likely never have comprehensive answers.
You can watch Chef Rush’s full comments on health in bodybuilding by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Chef Rush On Schwarzenegger’s Remarks: It’s Not Just About Freedom, It’s About Doing The Right Thing
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Chef Rush believes in defending people’s freedom but also feels that people have become complacent and entitled.
Chef Rush may be best known as the “jacked White House Chef” but he also spent a great deal of time in the military as a Master Sergeant. He’s fought for America and he understands the freedom and rights that he was fighting for. That’s why we felt it would be great to catch up and get his thoughts on the recent comments made by Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding mask mandates and freedom. In our latest GI Exclusive, Chef Rush breaks down the line between freedom, safety, and responsibility as members of the community.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger did a brief interview on CNN last month, he made a statement that reverberated across the bodybuilding world – “Screw your freedom.” In context, he was speaking about the greater responsibility that comes with freedom and urged those to wear a mask to help others during a time of need. But some saw this as another attempt to muzzle American citizens (somewhat literally) and take their rights away.
The fallout was swift and bold. Many bodybuilders made public statements condemning Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some even took down his posters from their wall. In the biggest move, RedCon1 pulled sponsorship from the upcoming Arnold Classic 2021.
We previously spoke with Victor Martinez on his thoughts about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comments where he defended Arnold’s statements. Now we’ve reconnected with Chef Rush to get his reaction on not only Arnold’s comments but also the fitness world’s reaction to them. Rush has spent a good portion of his life defending America in the military – so he can bring in a unique viewpoint as both a defender of this country and as a bodybuilder.
Chef Rush overall seems to defend Arnold Schwarzenegger’s statement but he also defends those who chose to get angry about it. That’s what freedom of speech is all about. Arnold can say what he wants and those who react can do so in turn. But when it comes to the concept of freedom beyond speech – the freedom to wear or not wear a mask – Rush draws a much more nuanced line.
Chef Rush will not dismiss anyone for their comments – we all can have different ideals. But he does believe that it’s important to do the right thing beyond freedom.
“I can’t tell him [Arnold Schwarzenegger] how to say it. He can only say what he can say the same way you can or the way they handle their situation,” Chef Rush says in our interview. He goes on:
“It’s not about that. It’s about doing the right thing because if I went around kids, if I went around older people, even my own kids and things like that – it would be the wrong thing to do. Even no matter what I believed in.”
Chef Rush also points out how easy it is to feel one way about something until it affects a person directly:
“It will be different if it was your family. If it was somebody you love. We are so complacent and entitled now. Freedom of speech is what it is. But if you go into an airport and they tell you put that mask on, guess what you are going to do? You’re going to put that mask on or you’re not going to fly. You’re freedom is taken away. If you run that light and a cop sees you, it’s taken away. That’s just a simple matter of fact of it. So don’t get mad that I’m saying this. And if you do get mad of me saying it – then that’s your freedom to do so. And that’s my freedom to not care.”
Ultimately, Chef Rush admits that he has heard far more offensive and anti-freedom statements made to him throughout his lifetime. As a black man, he’s had numerous situations where he faced racism and was told he deserved less because of the color of his skin. He understands they have the freedom to say those things – but that doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do.
Overall – it seems Chef Rush’s sentiments are that this whole situation has been blown out of proportion. He wants to focus on respecting each other and doing what’s right – not always what is easy.
You can watch Chef Rush share his full thoughts on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!